Greencastle, Ind. - The DePauw University men's basketball team earned its first conference game win at home in an 89-79 victory over Denison University.

The Tigers got on the board first with an early steal by Nolan Ginther, who passed it out to Elijah Hales for a three, taking a lead DePauw would keep for the entirety of the game.

Just nine minutes into the first half, DePauw put on a shooting clinic, going on an 18-7 point run, knocking down three three-pointers and finding success under the rim.

Thanks to some impressive defensive stops, the Tigers forced five turnovers and capitalized on the other end with 15 points off the turnovers.

In the first half, DePauw finished 8-14 behind the arc and shot 57% from the field, while it held Denison to just four three-pointers and 46% from the field. Up by 16 at the half, Nick Felke led the team with 15 points, three rebounds, and three assists.

The Big Red would return to the game with newfound energy in the second half, going on a 27-14 point run to get within five points with over 12 minutes left in the game. 

Fortunately for the Tigers, a quick three by Matt Mahlke would extend DePauw's lead back to eight, and jumpstart another scoring frenzy. Mahlke would finish the night 2-2 from behind the arc and wasn't the only big man putting in threes. Two more big threes were made by Aaron Shank, who finished with a career-high 16 points.

Recording a career-high six assists, Luke Steinhart led the team to a season-high 20 total assists, which impacted the final score greatly. 

Despite being outscored in the paint 48 to 26, DePauw showed its ability to score all over the floor, finishing the game with a field goal percentage of 58%, while defensively getting big stops when it mattered most.

The Tigers move to 7-7 overall and 4-3 in the NCAC. DePauw travels on Saturday, Jan. 18 to face Ohio Wesleyan University in the second game of a doubleheader matchup with the women's team. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. EST.

This Freaky Fast post game report is sponsored by Jimmy John's in Greencastle, Indiana.